Cable supported chair



Dec. 17, 19 57 e. D. LODVICK ETAL 2,

CABLE SUPPORTED CHAIR Filed June 17, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TORS GEORGE 0. L00 V/CK W4! 7E2 M4? 7/ GA/O/V/ 1 7 TTOR/VE VJ Dec. 17, 1957* G. D. LODVICK EI'AL 2,816,597

CABLE SUPPORTED CHAIR Fild June 17, 195

'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IN VEN TORS 650265 0. LODVICK W1473Q L .MART/GA/O/V/ G. D. LODVICK ETAL 2,816,597

CABLE SUPPORTED CHAIR Dec. 17, 1957 Filed June 17, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 CABLE SUPPORTED CHAIR George D. Lodvick, San Francisco, and Walter Louis Martignoni, Oakland, Calif.

Application June 17, 1955, Serial No. 516,254

10 Claims. (Cl. 1552) This invention relates generally to cable supported chairs and more particularly to cable supported chairs of the type used on ski lifts.

Conventional cable supported chairs have been found to be unsatisfactory in that often no safety means is provided to prevent the persons riding in the chair from falling out, and if safety means is provided, the safety means is of the type which is awkward to use. This is particularly true where a footrest has been incorporated for use with the safety means. Conventional chairs are also objectionable in that no means have been provided for alleviating the danger of injury to a skier whose legs may be struck by a moving chair if he does not seat himself properly.

In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cable supported chair which has been provided with safety means to prevent a person from falling out of the chair.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cable supported chair of the above character with a foot rest of the type which is swung to an out-of-the-way position when the safety means is moved to a released position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cable supported chair of the above character in which gearing has been provided to connect the safety means to the footrest to facilitate movement of the footrest to an out-of-the-way position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cable supported chair of the above character with a rubber bumper on the front edge of the chair seat to alleviate the danger of injury to a skier.

Additional objects and features of the invention will appear from the following description in which the pre ferred embodiment has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing a cable supported chair embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is a partial front elevational view of the cable supported chair shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the cable supported chair shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lin 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a gear box with the cover removed.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 6.

The cable supported chair shown in the drawing consists of a supporting member or rod 11 which carries a pair of chairs 12 and 13. The chairs may be of any conventional construction. For example, they may be formed of metal tubing 14 bent as shown in the drawing, and mounted on horizontal members 16 which are fixed to supporting member 11. Wooden slats 17 are riveted tnitd States Patent 0 M 2,816,597 Patented Dec. 17, 1957 ice to the metal tubing to provide a seating surface and back rest.

The upper end of supporting member 11 is connected to a cable carrier and attachment such as disclosed in our copending application Serial No. 516,255 filed June 17, 1955. j

A triangularly shaped plate 21 with rounded corners is fixed to the bottom end of supporting member 11, and forms a support for a pair of footrest assemblies 22. A bracing member 23 is connected between supporting member 11 and plate 21 and serves to reinforce the connection between support member 11 and plate 21.

A gear box assembly 24 is disposed between the chairs 12 and 13 at about arm level and is carried by supporting member 11 by means of a horizontal bar 26 and a bracing member 27. A pair of vertical tubular spacing members 28 are mounted between the gear box assembly and plate 21.

The gear box assembly consists of a housing 31 which is fixed to bar 26 by any suitable means such as bolts 32. Two pairs of bevel gear assemblies 33 and 34 are journalled in the side walls of the housing.

As shown particularly in Figures 6 and 7, each of the bevel gear assemblies consists of a bevel gear 36 fixed on a shaft 37 which has one end 37a journalled in one side wall of housing 31 and which has intermediate portion of shaft 37 journalled in the opposite side wall of housing 31. The other end 37b of shaft 37 extends substantially beyond the side wall of the housing for a purpose hereinafter described. A bevel gear 38 meshes with bevel gear 36 and is fixed to a stub shaft 39 which is journalled in the bottom wall of the housing 31 and is coaxially aligned within the upper end of one of the tubular spacing members 28.

The stub shafts 39 are fixed by suitable means such as Welding to tubular shafts 41 which are coaxially aligned within tubular spacing members 28. Tubular shafts 41 extend downwardly through tubular spacing members 28 and are each connected to a footrest 42. The footrests may be of any desired shape such as shown in the drawing and may be provided with a rubberized surface 43.

A safety bar 46 is fixed to each of the ends 37b of shafts 37 by means a a hub 47. The safety bars have a curvature substantially as shown and are adapted to be rotated from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position over the adjacent chair. It is apparent that as a safety bar 46 is lowered and raised, the associated bevel gear assembly will be operated to cause rotation of the associated footrest. I

A pair of detent assemblies 51 and 52 have been provided on plate 21 to hold the footrests 42 and associated safety bars in either one of two extreme positions. Each of the detent assemblies is substantially identical and consists of a plate 53 which is fixed to tubular shaft 41. Plate 53 is provided with a pair of spaced holes 54 and 56 which are adapted to cooperate with a ball 57. Ball 57 is continuously urged in the downward direction toward the holes by a spring 58 housed within a cylindrical member 59 mounted on plate 21. The compression of the spring is adjustable by a screw 61 which is threaded into the upper portion of cylindrical member 59 and engages the upper portion of spring 58.

The holes 54 and 56 are so spaced that the detent assemblies serve to maintain the footrests 42 in either an out-of-the-way' position or in a foot resting position.

To add to the safety of our cable supported chair, we have also provided a resilient bumper 64 which is mounted on the forward or leading edge of the chair by suitable means such as a plurality of bolts (not shown) which have their heads embedded in the resilient material and which are fastened through the adjacent wooden briefly described as follows:

slats 17. The bumper may be of any suitable resilient material such as neoprene.

Operation of our cable supported chair may now be Let it be assumed that two people are riding in the cable supported chairs shown and that the safety bars 46 are in a horizontal or safety position and the footrests 42 are in a forward or foot resting position. Let it also be assumed that the people riding in the chairs now wish to get off of the chairs. The procedure for dismounting is as follows: Each person lifts his feet from his footrest and lifts his safety bar and pushes it upward from a horizontal position to the vertical position shown in dotted lines in Figure l.

The force required to lift the safety bar may be varied by adjusting screws 61 of the detent assemblies. Normally, it has been found desirable to require a force of from 7 to 10 pounds to lift the safety bar.

Since the operation of both chairs is substantially identical, the detail operation of only one will be described. Taking the left chair as viewed in Figure 3, as the safety bar 46 is rotated in a clockwise direction, shaft 37 and bevel gear 36 will be rotated in a clockwise direction. Bevel gear 38 and stub shaft 39 will also be rotated in a clockwise direction. Clockwise rotation of shaft 39 causes clockwise rotation of tubular shaft 41 and footrest 42. Thus, it is apparent that as the safety bar is lifted, the footrest will be swung towards an out-of-theway position. The gear ratio of bevel gears 36 and 38 will determine the relative amounts of rotation between the safety bar and the footrest. In this particular instance it has been found desirable to provide a gear ratio in which the footrest 42 moves through 120 between a forward or foot resting position and a rearward or outof-the-way position while the safety bar moves through 90 between a horizontal position and a vertical position.

As soon as the safety bar has been moved to a vertical position, the detent assembly engages hole 54 and maintains the safety bar in a vertical position and the footrest in an out-of-the-way position. With the safety bar and footrest in this position, the person in the chair can get out with ease. The chair is particularly adapted for use by skiers in which the safety bar prevents a skier from accidentally falling out of the chair and the footrest provided a resting place for the feet and skis as the skier rides to the top of the mountain.

After the person or skier has gotten out of the chair, the chair will be returned to a loading platform with the safety bar in a vertical position and the footrest in an out-of-the-way position making it possible for persons or skiers to easily seat themselves on the chair.

As is well known to those skilled in the art of skiing, ski lifts of the chair type are generally continuously operated and the loading and emptying of the chairs must be accomplished while the chairs are moving. In loading onto the chairs, if the person is not careful, the lower portions of his legs may be struck by the leading edge of the seat of the chair causing rather painful bruises and the like. The rubber bumper 64 has been provided to alleviate the possibility of such injury by the chair. The rubber bumper will serve to cushion the impact and will prevent undue injury to the persons legs. By using such a bumper it is possible to increase the speed of movement of the chairs without increasing the danger of injuring people loading on the chairs.

As soon as the person has loaded himself on the chair, he immediately pulls down the safety bar from the vertical position into the horizontal which causes the footrest to move in a direction opposite the direction previously described to a forward or a foot resting position. The person or skier may then rest his feet of skis upon the footrest and relax until he is ready to get off of the cha r- If a parent wishes to take a child for a ride on the chair, the safety bar will also hold the child in the chair because it has been placed above the seat of the chair in such a manner that it is difficult for the child to crawl under or over the bar.

It is apparent from the foregoing that we have provided a cable supported chair which provides safety features which previously have not been incorporated in chairs of this type. The safety means is relatively simple in construction and is easily operated and maintained.

We claim:

1. In a chair assembly of the type adapted to be supported by a cable, a chair, supporting means adapted to suspend said chair from said cable, a safety bar having one end pivotally connected to said supporting means and movable between a substantially horizontal position and a substantially vertical position, said safety bar in a horizontal position overlying the seat of said chair and being spaced above the seat of said chair, a footrest pivotally connected to said supporting means and movable in a horizontal plane between forward and rearward positions, and gearing means connecting said footrest to said safety bar whereby upon movement of said safety bar from a horizontal to a vertical position, said footrest will be moved from a forward to a rearward position.

2. A cable supported chair assembly as in claim 1 wherein said footrest moves through a substantially greater angle in moving from a forward to a rearward position than said safety bar in moving from a horizontal to a vertical position.

3. A cable supported chair assembly as in claim 1 together with detent means mounted on said supporting means and associated with said footrest for maintaining said safety bar in either a vertical or a horizontal position, said detent means including a spring urged ball.

4. In a chair assembly of the type adapted to be sup ported by a cable, a chair, supporting means adapted to suspend said chair from said cable, a housing mounted on said supporting means, a shaft journalled in the side walls of said housing and having one end extending substantially beyond the side wall of the housing, an elongated safety bar fixed to the exposed end of said shaft, a gear within said housing and fixed on said shaft, a second shaft journalled in the bottom wall of said housing, a second gear fixed on said second shaft and engaging said first named gear, a footrest movable between a forward and rearward position, means journalled in said supporting means for connecting said footrest to said second shaft, and detent means mounted on said last named means, said detent means serving to maintain said footrest in either a forward or rearward position.

5. A chair assembly as in claim 4 wherein said safety bar moves in a vertical plane between a substantially horizontal position and a substantially vertical position and said footrest moves in a substantially horizontal plane between forward and rearward positions.

6. A chair assembly as in claim 5 together with a bumper of resilient material fixed to the leading edge of the seat of said chair.

7. In a chair assembly of the type adapted to be supported by a cable, a chair having a seating surface, supporting means adapted to suspend said chair from said cable, an element fixed relative to the chair, a safety bar mounted on said element and movable in a substantially vertical plane between a horizontal safety position spaced substantially above the front portion of the seating surface of the chair and a vertical emptying position, an additional element fixed relative to the chair, a footrest mounted on said additional element and rotatable in a substantially horizontal plane from a forward position spaced substantially below and in front of the front edge of the seating surface of the chair to a rearward position underlying the seating surface of the chair, and means connecting said safety bar to said footrest whereby upon movement of said safety bar from a horizontal position toa vertical position said footrest is moved from a forward position to a rearward position.

8. A chair assembly as in claim 7 wherein said last named means includes a pair of bevel gears.

9. In a chair assembly of the type adapted to be supported by a cable, a chair having a seating surface, supporting means adapted to suspend said chair from said cable, gearing means mounted on said supporting means, a safety bar connected to said gearing means and movable in a substantially vertical plane between a horizontal safety position spaced substantially above the front portion of the sea-ting surface of the chair and a vertical emptying position, and a footrest connected to said gearing means and movable in a substantially horizontal plane from a forward position spaced substantially below and in front of the front edge of the seating surface of the chair and a rearward position underlying the seating surface of the chair, movement of said safety bar from a horizontal position to a vertical position causing said footrest to be moved from a forward to a rearward position.

10. A chair assembly as in claim 9 together with detent means mounted on said supporting means and associated with said footrest, said detent means including a plate having recesses therein, a spring urged ball, and means for retaining said spring urged ball in engagement with said plate, said spring urged ball being adapted to seat in said recesses when said footrest is moved into its said forward and rearward positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 913,424 Nehring Feb. 23, 1909 2,244,650 Curran et a1. June 3, 1941 2,518,107 Wilson Aug. 8, 1950 2,710,650 Sowder June 14, 1955 

